College Basketball Rankings 2015-16: Bleacher Report's Week 7 Top 25
A total of seven college basketball teams from last week's B/R Top 25 suffered a loss Saturday, but the cream of the crop escaped unscathed as Michigan State, Kansas, Oklahoma and Maryland sit atop our rankings for a second consecutive week.
Two teams we're used to seeing up there year after year didn't fare so well this week, as Duke and Kentucky both dropped out of our Top 10 following neutral-court losses to unranked teams.
While those titans stumbled, Utah and South Carolina are the new arrivals to this week's poll. The Utes were ranked previously, but this is our first time encountering the Gamecocks in the Top 25 this season.
Read on for our full Week 7 rankings.
Teams Dropped from Week 6 Rankings: Baylor (12), UCLA (23)
Others Considered: Arkansas-Little Rock, Iowa, Pittsburgh, Dayton, Connecticut
Note: There will not be a B/R Top 25 posted next Sunday, so we've listed the games that each of our Top 15 teams will play between now and the next poll on Jan. 3.
Our experts participate in weekly voting for B/R's Top 25. Once a vote is cast for a specific team, it's assigned a value—25 points for the No. 1 team in the rankings, 24 points for the second spot and so on. The point totals are then added up to create the Top 25.
Nos. 25-21: Wake Forest-George Washington
1 of 17
25. Wake Forest
Record: 8-2
Previous rank: 25
One way or the other, we're going to find out a lot about the Demon Deacons in the next 17 days, as their next four games look like this: vs. Xavier, at LSU, at Louisville, vs. Duke. It might not be the most difficult four-game slate any team has to deal with this season, but anything other than four straight losses would have to feel like a win. If they go 3-1 or even 4-0, they could be a Top 10 team in a few weeks.
24. South Carolina
Record: 10-0
Previous rank: Not Ranked
The Gamecocks haven't really been tested, and they might not be tested for a while. Their best win was against Tulsa, and the biggest challenge they'll face until early February is a home game against "probably not as good as we thought" Vanderbilt. But respect to South Carolina for the 10-0 start. We just couldn't seem to agree to extend the same courtesy to Arkansas-Little Rock.
23. Cincinnati
Record: 10-2
Previous rank: 24
VCU is in the midst of a down year, but it's still mighty impressive that the Bearcats won a true road game against the Rams, allowing just four steals in the process. We may have overly punished Cincinnati for its losses to Butler and Xavier, as both of those teams currently rank in our Top 10. The Bearcats have a big opportunity to prove they belong higher in our next poll with a home game against Iowa State on Tuesday.
22. Utah
Record: 9-2
Previous rank: Not Ranked
It wasn't pretty, but the neutral-court win over Duke (is Madison Square Garden really neutral court when it comes to the Blue Devils?) is going to look beautiful on Utah's resume for the rest of the season. The Utes bounced back extraordinarily well from last week's beating at the hands of Wichita State and should enter Pac-12 play as one of the 25 best teams in the country.
21. George Washington
Record: 10-1
Previous rank: 21
It's going to be some time before the Colonials can make a legitimate splash again—they play six consecutive teams outside the KenPom Top 100 before a key game against Dayton in mid-January—but in this topsy-turvy season, going more than three weeks without facing a marquee opponent will likely allow them to climb up to 10 more spots in the polls before that A-10 showdown.
Nos. 20-16: West Virginia-Louisville
2 of 17
20. West Virginia
Record: 9-1
Previous rank: 20
If you were worried that the Mountaineers might fall apart after letting Virginia storm back for a comfortable win two weeks ago, fear not. In the next two games against Louisiana Monroe and Marshall, they had 24 steals and 48 offensive rebounds while holding the opposition to just 20.0 percent shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Business as usual.
19. Providence
Record: 11-1
Previous rank: 19
Kris Dunn hasn't played in the last two-and-a-half games due to what must be one of the worst stomach viruses of all time, and Providence hasn't looked good at all without him. But the Friars won each of those games and got some solid play out of guys like Kyron Cartwright and Drew Edwards who weren't doing much of anything while Dunn was healthy. That improved depth could pay dividends during the course of the Big East gauntlet that lies ahead.
18. Villanova
Record: 8-2
Previous rank: 16
Though the Wildcats lost to Virginia on Saturday, they looked a whole lot better in the process than they did against Oklahoma. Rebounding is always going to be an issue with this roster, but they shot much better from three-point range and won the turnover battle against the Cavaliers—something that almost never happens. Villanova's New Year's Eve game against Xavier is going to be a blast.
17. Arizona
Record: 11-1
Previous rank: 17
Ryan Anderson recorded back-to-back double-doubles and Dusan Ristic scored a career-high 20 points in the win over UNLV—his third consecutive game scoring in double figures. Kaleb Tarczewski better hurry up and get healthy before there's no longer a job waiting for him.
16. Louisville
Record: 9-1
Previous rank: 17
The Cardinals have yet to win a true road game and haven't beaten a team in the KenPom Top 125. But they're 9-1 with each win coming by a margin of at least 20 points, and the one loss was by a slim margin at Michigan State. It's a bizarre resume, but it certainly feels like this is one of the 10 best teams in the country.
15. Texas A&M Aggies
3 of 17
Record: 9-2 (36 points)
Previous rank: 22
Results since last poll: vs. Baylor (W 80-61)
Games before next poll: vs. Cal Poly, vs. Arkansas
If you understand Texas A&M, do share the wealth.
The Aggies scored just 54 points in a 69-possession loss to Arizona State two weeks ago, but they scored 80 in a 68-possession win over an even better defensive team in Baylor this week.
Sure, the loss was on the road and the win came at home, but that can't possibly be worth 0.4 points per possession, can it? And Jalen Jones played much better in the win than he did in the loss, but is one player enough for a 26-point swing?
Let's not forget this is also the team that beat Texas and Gonzaga before losing to Syracuse—which, to be fair, did feel like a quality loss at the time, even though the Orange have fallen to pieces since then.
But there are a lot of teams right now that don't make a lick of sense, and we just have to take them for what they are from week to week. And this week, A&M looks great (except for its free-throw shooting). Tyler Davis more than held his own against Rico Gathers and Johnathan Motley as the Aggies actually grabbed more offensive rebounds than one of the best teams in the country in that category.
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14. Miami Hurricanes
4 of 17
Record: 9-1 (38 points)
Previous rank: 13
Results since last poll: vs. Charleston (W 85-63)
Games before next poll: at La Salle, vs. Princeton, vs. Syracuse
It was a big week for guards from high-ranking teams to have breakout parties. Kentucky's Jamal Murray and Duke's Luke Kennard both showed up in a huge way under the national spotlight this weekend, but Miami's Ja'Quan Newton had a big game in the obscurity of an otherwise crazy day of college hoops.
The sophomore set a new career high in points, rebounds and steals with 20, seven and four, respectively, against Charleston.
Early in the second half, the game was a bit too close for comfort for a Hurricanes squad that already lost a home game this season against a team from the Colonial Athletic Association. However, Newton almost single-handedly put it out of reach, scoring 14 of his 20 points in a span of just over seven minutes in which Miami stretched its lead from three to 21 points.
It was his eighth time scoring in double figures this season, so he certainly didn't come out of nowhere. But if he can continue to be a reliable fourth wheel to Sheldon McClellan, Angel Rodriguez and Tonye Jekiri, this could be a bandwagon worth jumping aboard.
12. (tie) Kentucky Wildcats
5 of 17
Record: 9-2 (40 points)
Previous rank: 6
Results since last poll: vs. Ohio State (L 67-74)
Games before next poll: vs. Louisville, vs. Ole Miss
It took more than a month, but we finally got to see the version of Jamal Murray that single-handedly and repeatedly took over during the Pan Am Games this summer. He was good for the first 10.5 games of the season, but he was a god in the second half against Ohio State.
However, his 33 points weren't enough to lead the otherwise hapless Wildcats to a victory.
Kentucky simply is not very good right now. Isaiah Briscoe and Skal Labissiere are both performing far below expectations, and Tyler Ulis is shooting just 26.1 percent from three-point range this year after converting 42.9 percent of such looks as a freshman.
Veterans Alex Poythress and Marcus Lee have been playing quite well in the paint, but they need considerably more help than they're getting if this team is going to win the SEC, let alone the national championship.
"This is who we are right now, especially when we're not making shots," said head coach John Calipari to CBS' Allie LaForce with his team trailing by 12 at halftime.
12. (tie) Duke Blue Devils
6 of 17
Record: 9-2 (40 points)
Previous rank: 7
Results since last poll: vs. Georgia Southern (W 99-65), vs. Utah (L 75-77)
Games before next poll: vs. Elon, vs. Long Beach State, at Boston College
Duke's loss to Utah was equal parts promising and disturbing.
The good news is the Blue Devils dominated the turnover battle (19-5), got a career-high 24 points and eight rebounds out of Luke Kennard and were competitive on a neutral court against a quality team, despite playing without Amile Jefferson (fractured foot) and effectively playing without Grayson Allen (flu).
The bad news is they got destroyed on the glass (56-38) and had absolutely no answer for Utah's Jakob Poeltl or Kyle Kuzma, who combined for 40 points and 22 rebounds.
Allen isn't often going to score only seven points on 18 field-goal attempts when he's feeling well, but that frontcourt situation isn't going to get any better until Jefferson returns. Utah entered the game with an average rebounding margin of just plus-6.2 per game, but the shorthanded Blue Devils made the Utes look like 2014-15 Kentucky on the glass.
Even with Marshall Plumlee in foul trouble for most of the game, Chase Jeter played just six minutes and Sean Obi didn't touch the court. Like Jabari Parker two years ago, Brandon Ingram spent some time at the 5, even though he's going to be a 3 at the next level.
Fortunately, Duke doesn't face any of the elite ACC teams until late January, so there's still some time to figure out a solution while hoping Jefferson heals up fast. But early returns suggest the Blue Devils aren't looking so great without him.
11. Purdue Boilermakers
7 of 17
Record: 11-1 (42 points)
Previous rank: 8
Results since last poll: vs. Butler (L 68-74)
Games before next poll: vs. Vanderbilt, at Wisconsin, vs. Iowa
Many were hesitant to buy stock in the Boilermakers because they hadn't yet faced a ranked opponent. We would argue that neutral-court victories over Old Dominion and Florida as well as a true road win against Pitt—all by double-digit margins—were pretty doggone respectable, but because those teams didn't have a number to the left of their names, the wins didn't carry the weight that they should have.
Thus, it wasn't a great look when Purdue finally faced a ranked opponent and lost, even though Butler's leading scorer (Kellen Dunham) missed all 12 shots that he took.
But we're not ready to liquidate our stock in the Boilermakers just yet.
Outside of a fourth consecutive strong game from Caleb Swanigan, Purdue's offense was a nightmare. However, its defense stifled Butler's offense, which is not something that many teams can claim. And that defense is what could pace Purdue to a 30-win season for the first time in school history.
10. Iowa State Cyclones
8 of 17
Record: 9-1 (43 points)
Previous rank: 4
Results since last poll: vs. Northern Iowa (L 79-81)
Games before next poll: at Cincinnati, vs. Coppin State, at Oklahoma
Last week's 20-point second-half deficit against Iowa was the warning sign, but the loss to Northern Iowa this week has us legitimately concerned about the Cyclones. Throw in the lackluster season opener against Colorado, and Iowa State simply has not looked good against its best opponents—none of which are even remotely guaranteed to earn an invite to the NCAA tournament.
Losing Naz Mitrou-Long for the season didn't help matters one bit.
Matt Thomas and Hallice Cooke have been thrust into a much bigger role without Long, which didn't look too shabby while they were scoring 28 points in a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. However, the duo played 43 minutes in the loss to Northern Iowa, combining for two points on just six shots with four turnovers.
Marquette transfer Deonte Burton will also be key in head coach Steve Prohm's attempt to steer this team past the loss of Long. Burton just became eligible this week. He scored seven points in his season debut, but the short-handed Cyclones are going to need a lot from him going forward if they're going to compete for the Big 12 title.
9. SMU Mustangs
9 of 17
Record: 9-0 (48 points)
Previous rank: 13
Results since last poll: vs. Nicholls State (W 86-42), vs. Hampton (W 105-72)
Games before next poll: Las Vegas Classic (vs. Kent State and likely vs. Colorado), at Tulsa, vs. South Florida
Jordan Tolbert had a pretty decent month in the span of just over one full day.
On Wednesday in the blowout win over Nicholls State, the senior forward started in place of the injured Marcus Kennedy (ankle) and had 18 points and 23 rebounds. The following night with Kennedy still out of the lineup, Tolbert had another ridiculous double-double, going for 20 points and 19 rebounds in the blowout win over Hampton.
I can't imagine many instances in the past few decades of players recording at least 18 points and 18 rebounds in consecutive games, let alone on consecutive days. We'll see what transpires during the conference tournament portion of the season, but 38 points and 42 rebounds might be the most incredible 24-hour stretch we witness all year.
Of course, SMU's ineligibility for conference tournaments and beyond is going to be the story that only grows in stature as the Mustangs continue their quest for perfection.
With Iowa State and Purdue both falling Saturday, SMU is one of just six remaining undefeated teams in the country. And if the Mustangs can get through Colorado and Tulsa in the next 10 days, it might be mid-February before they're challenged again.
8. Butler Bulldogs
10 of 17
Record: 9-1 (50 points)
Previous rank: 15
Results since last poll: vs. Purdue (W 74-68)
Games before next poll: vs. Southern Utah, vs. IUPUI, vs. Providence, at Xavier
For my money, there wasn't a more impressive win of the week than Butler's victory over Purdue.
Just a few days ago, we noted that defense has been a serious problem for the Bulldogs this season. In three games against KenPom Top 100 opponents, they were allowing 82.3 points per game. Those opponents were shooting 57.4 percent from two-point range, which didn't bode well for the game against Purdue's powerful frontcourt.
Yet, they shut down A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas in the process of somehow beating a marquee opponent while Kellen Dunham shot 0-of-12 from the field. In Dunham's stead, Roosevelt Jones had 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists while Tyler Lewis had his best game as a Bulldog, tallying 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals with just one turnover.
This is an undersized team, but they never commit turnovers, take high-quality shots and rebound extremely well for their size. And now that we've seen Butler beat one of the better teams in the country while getting nine points on 21 field-goal attempts from Dunham and Kelan Martin, the sky is officially the limit.
7. North Carolina Tar Heels
11 of 17
Record: 9-2 (59 points)
Previous rank: 11
Results since last poll: vs. Tulane (W 96-72), vs. UCLA (W 89-76)
Games before next poll: vs. Appalachian State, vs. UNC-Greensboro, vs. Clemson, vs. Georgia Tech
There was nothing tame about Brice Johnson's play this week without Kennedy Meeks.
Johnson had 25 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's win over Tulane and followed it up with 27 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's big victory over UCLA. He has scored at least 10 points in every game this season, but he hadn't put up more than 16 in a game until this week.
Isaiah Hicks has also been a key contributor in North Carolina's frontcourt and currently ranks sixth in the nation in O-rating among players getting at least 40 percent of available playing time.
With Marcus Paige out for the first six games of the season, backcourt players like Joel Berry II, Nate Britt and Theo Pinson shouldered more of the offensive load, and the forwards appear to be doing the same in Meeks' absence.
Playing the vast majority of the nonconference portion of their season at less than full strength can't be what the Tar Heels had in mind, but it's a small price to pay to get some of these extremely talented players to tap into their full potential. North Carolina does have two disappointing losses to Northern Iowa and Texas, but it still feels like this should be the best team in the country eventually.
6. Xavier Musketeers
12 of 17
Record: 11-0 (60 points)
Previous rank: 9
Results since last poll: vs. Auburn (W 85-61)
Games before next poll: at Wake Forest, at Villanova, vs. Butler
If it feels weird to see Xavier this high, you're certainly not alone.
The Musketeers have never been to the Final Four, and they've never ranked higher than No. 7 in the AP Top 25, but they're well on their way to a first in both of those categories. They have four wins over KenPom Top 50 teams (Cincinnati, Michigan, USC and Dayton), and each of those wins came by a double-digit margin.
This week's game against Auburn was nothing new. Xavier was plus-16 on the glass and plus-24 on the scoreboard, absolutely dismantling a team that hadn't been soundly beaten yet this season.
Jalen Reynolds and James Farr were dominant once again, combining for 30 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks. Like A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas at Purdue, each big man averages about 20 minutes per game, very rarely playing together.
It's a formula that has proved quite successful. Kentucky platooned at every position last season in going 38-1, and Michigan State got to the 2015 Final Four on the back of its Matt Costello-Gavin Schilling tandem at center.
Two weeks from now, we'll have an even better idea of what Xavier is capable of doing this year, as this stretch against Wake Forest, Villanova and Butler will provide challenges in nearly every facet of the game.
5. Virginia Cavaliers
13 of 17
Record: 9-1 (63 points)
Previous rank: 10
Results since last poll: vs. Villanova (W 86-75)
Games before next poll: vs. California, vs. Oakland, vs. Notre Dame
It goes against everything we've been told over the past few years, but Virginia has the most high-powered offense in the country right now.
Don't confuse high-powered with fast-paced. That would be exceedingly bizarre for a team coached by Tony Bennett. But after Saturday's offensive show against Villanova, the Cavaliers lead the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency and are averaging 1.24 points per possession. They have yet to play a game with more than 68 possessions, yet they've now scored at least 80 points six different times.
The box score says London Perrantes only hit three triples against the Wildcats, but Villanova fans must have felt like he made at least 10, because each one was a momentum-killing dagger. He was one of three Cavaliers to score at least 19 points in the game, none of who attempted more than 10 shots.
They flipped a switch late in the first half against West Virginia two weeks ago and evidently never turned it off. With Perrantes, Anthony Gill and Malcolm Brogdon scoring like this, how could one not think that Virginia is the favorite to win the ACC for a third straight year?
4. Maryland Terrapins
14 of 17
Record: 10-1 (65 points)
Previous rank: 4
Results since last poll: vs. Princeton (W 82-61)
Games before next poll: vs. Marshall, vs. Penn State, at Northwestern
Diamond Stone hasn't quite been a force of nature in the paint just yet, but Maryland still has the best interior game in the country.
All 10 Terrapins who have attempted at least three two-point attempts are shooting 50 percent or better from inside the arc on the season. Four of their regulars are shooting better than 62 percent inside the arc, resulting in the nation's best team two-point percentage.
Thus, it was business as usual this week against Princeton, as Maryland shot 62.5 percent from two-point range. Five Terrapins scored in double figures, and Melo Trimble wasn't even one of them, which speaks volumes about how many weapons head coach Mark Turgeon has on this roster.
Surrounding the competitive loss at North Carolina, each of Maryland's last seven wins has come by a double-digit margin, including neutral-court victories over Connecticut and Rhode Island.
3. Oklahoma Sooners
15 of 17
Record: 8-0 (68 points)
Previous rank: 3
Results since last poll: vs. Creighton (W 87-74)
Games before next poll: Diamond Head Classic (vs. Washington State, likely games vs. Northern Iowa and BYU), vs. Iowa State
Another week, another monster performance from Buddy Hield. Oklahoma's Wooden Award candidate had 33 points in the win over Creighton. Through eight games, he's now averaging 23.5 points and is shooting 50.0 percent from three-point range.
The more important development for Oklahoma was the impressive play of power forward Khadeem Lattin. The sophomore posted a career high in both minutes and blocks with 25 and six, respectively. He also had eight points and five rebounds in what was the most complete performance by a Sooner other than Hield, Jordan Woodard, Isaiah Cousins or Ryan Spangler.
In terms of O-rating, Lattin has actually been Oklahoma's most efficient offensive weapon this season. And among players who have logged at least 10 minutes, he leads the Sooners in defensive box plus/minus, per Sports-Reference. By several measures, he's the most important player on the roster.
Lattin isn't nearly the dominant double-double machine that TaShawn Thomas was last season, and Oklahoma is still pretty average on the glass even with his emergence, but the Sooners aren't nearly as weak at the 4 as we once thought.
2. Kansas Jayhawks
16 of 17
Record: 9-1 (72 points)
Previous rank: 2
Results since last poll: vs. Montana (W 88-46)
Games before next poll: at San Diego State, vs. UC Irvine, vs. Baylor
Plenty of great coaches use the bench as punishment, but few do it as often and intensely as Bill Self.
Over the past two-plus years, it feels like there has always been at least one person in Self's doghouse, and Brannen Greene wore that collar for the first month of the season. Beyond the vague "conduct detrimental to the team" label, we never learned why Greene was hit with a six-game suspension (that was evidently reduced to five for good attitude), but it didn't take long for him to get into the starting lineup.
Kansas' only game this week was also Greene's only start of the year. He sank his first three three-point attempts and is now 11-of-14 from downtown on the season.
With Cheick Diallo and Svi Mykhailiuk still not playing all that well, Kansas may need more out of Greene than we once thought. Wayne Selden, Frank Mason and Perry Ellis have been excellent, but it certainly doesn't hurt that Big Three to have a wing with an effective field-goal percentage of 113.9.
As long as he keeps his head on straight and keeps hitting a few triples per game, Greene will be a crucial piece of Kansas' national championship campaign. Considering he didn't play a single minute of the Maui Invitational that had us all swooning over the Jayhawks, that's rough news for the rest of the Big 12.
1. Michigan State Spartans
17 of 17
Record: 12-0 (75 points)
Previous rank: 1
Results since last poll: at Northeastern (W 78-58)
Games before next poll: at Oakland, at Iowa, at Minnesota
The Spartans got out to a slow start in their first true road game of the season, but even on a day where stud freshman Deyonta Davis barely touched the court (allegedly because of matchups), they still won by a 20-point margin.
It has been a few weeks since Denzel Valentine really flirted with a triple-double, but he led the Spartans in points, assists, rebounds and steals (and turnovers) Saturday.
The bigger personnel news was the return of Gavin Schilling.
He only played 11 minutes and managed to commit four fouls during that time, but it was the first time we've seen Schilling since the 2015 Final Four, as he missed the first 11 games of the season with turf toe. He was Michigan State's most efficient offensive rebounder last season, as well as a reliable scorer and shot-blocker. Once he's up to full speed, look for him to reprise his role as the second half of a platoon with Matt Costello.
With Schilling back, the Spartans have the most complete team in the country. They'll continue to rely on Valentine for an awful lot, but there are a lot of guys on this roster who can pick up the slack if he ever does have an off night.
Post-publish note: Valentine is out for the next 2-3 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee on Monday morning. The Spartans remain our No. 1 team for now, but for thoughts on how this affects both Michigan State and the National Player of the Year discussion, click here.
All advanced stats courtesy of KenPom.com unless otherwise noted.
Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.
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